Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) (6 page)

She didn’t regret for a moment keeping Nicky. He was literally the best part of her life. Being with him made everything better. He made everything worth it. Having to quit nursing school didn’t bother her all that much. She wasn’t sure now it’s what she really wanted to do with her life.

Not having any time for herself and working two jobs was okay too. Giving Nicky what was left of the twenty-four hours in a day wasn’t a burden but a joy.

But there were times she felt so lonely. After Nicky was asleep she’d lie in bed with the weight of the world on her shoulders and wish someone were lying next to her. When there was a decision to be made she often wished she had someone she could talk it over with. Someone she knew without a doubt was on her side. Someone who would hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Yes, she had her mother and father. They were wonderful but they weren’t a partner. What she really wished for late at night was that person she could build a lifetime with.

Maybe – just maybe – that person could be Dane.

‡

D
ane was clearing
away the last of work on Wednesday night when Chris strolled into his office, slumped into a chair, and put his feet up on the table. Dane knew that look in Chris’s eye. They’d been friends for over thirty years after all, and if Chris’s expression was anything to go by Dane was about to receive a lecture.

“I’m not in the mood.” Dane tapped away at the keys of his laptop, studiously ignoring his best friend.

“I don’t care if you’re in the mood. You’re going to listen anyway if I have to get Seb to help me hold you down.”

Dane snorted and finally gave Chris his attention. “It would take more than you and Seb and you fucking know it,” he boasted.

Goading Chris was one of Dane’s favorite past times. Seb was way too calm and laidback to react but Chris was another matter entirely. He rarely backed down from a challenge but tonight he didn’t take the bait.

“I’ll take my chances. Listen, Seb and I want to talk to you about Lily Emery.”

She was the last thing Dane wanted to talk about. He was still trying to come to grips with how he felt about her. She’d turned his entire world upside down and inside out and he didn’t have a fucking clue what to do about it. Everything he thought he knew about women had been smashed into pieces by this one female. The only thing he knew for sure was he couldn’t stay away from her.

“You and Seb? Where is he then?”

“Finishing up a deposition. I told him I’d go ahead and talk to you. He’ll get here as soon as he can.”

“So…talk.” Dean smacked his laptop closed and leaned back in the leather chair, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Seb and Chris believed they were experts on relationships just because they had women. Dane could easily point out that Seb and Amanda had been separated for thirteen years and that Chris had been quite the ladies’ man before meeting his match in Susie, a woman he’d almost let slip through his fingers because of some crush she’d had on Dane years ago.

“We assume you haven’t told this woman your true identity yet?” Chris asked, continuing before Dane could answer. “And we assume you still intend to give her the money for the boy?”

“The boy,” Dane said through gritted teeth, “has a name. It’s Nicholas. And Lily is not
that woman
. As for what you term my true identity, I’m not fucking Batman the Dark Knight who fights crime behind a mask. I’m just a guy who is trying to ensure the veracity of her claims. I hope that Lily understands why I did what I did.”

Chris lowered his legs to the floor and leaned forward so his palms rested on the dark oak of the desk. “Technically it’s not a mask, it’s a cowl as you well know. Secondly, what if she doesn’t understand? What if she thinks you’re slime?”

That was something Dane didn’t want to think about. Once he explained everything to Lily he hoped that she would see he felt he’d had no choice. “Not that this is any of your business – because it isn’t – but I intend to tell her Saturday night when we go on our date.”

He’d made the decision at their picnic even before she’d told him Monday night that her parents had agreed to babysit. He’d wanted to tell her before their date but they never seemed to be alone at the park and that conversation called for privacy.

“Well, that’s good.” Chris seemed at a loss for words. “You’re going on a date with her? Wait, what?”

“I think that may be the first time you’ve been speechless in a long time, my friend. Which part was confusing? Where I tell her the truth or take her on a date?”

“Shit, both.” Chris stood and walked to the windows. “You were worried about this girl being something of a gold digger. I guess you’re not afraid of that any longer? Or you know she is and you can proceed normally like you do with every other woman? Some hot sex and then throw a few diamonds their way.”

Hot anger churned in Dane’s stomach threatening to boil over, and only his icy control kept it in check. Chris was being deliberately provocative or exceedingly stupid. Either way, no one was going to speak about Lily like that. Dane stood as well and got right into Chris’s face. He wanted to make sure his friend heard every fucking word.

“Don’t ever say anything like that about Lily ever again. She’s nothing like anyone I’ve ever dated and I doubt she gives a flying shit about diamonds or mink coats or expensive cars. So shut the fuck up.”

Dane emphasized his point by shoving his finger into Chris’s chest. His friend looked down at the digit pressed against his body and then back at Dane, a grin spreading across his face.

“Holy shit, you’re in love. The cool as a cucumber Dane Braxton has finally fallen like the rest of us mortals.” Chris whistled and slapped Dane on the back which did little to improve his mood. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, for fuck’s sake.

“I’m not in love,” Dane snapped, his patience stretched thin. “I admit that I like her, and that I care about her and Nicky. But that hardly constitutes love.”

“It’s more than you’ve ever shown so it’s damn close,” Chris declared. “What’s so special about this one?”

Dane was ready to take a swing at Chris’s smug face. What was special about Lily? Fucking everything. The way she cared for Nicky, always putting him before herself. The way she blushed when paid a compliment as if she wasn’t used to hearing nice things. The shy way she asked him about himself and then really listened when he answered. Or maybe it was the way she appreciated all the little things in her life that were good like a sunny day or the chocolate in a brownie.

It was all those things and so much more. And fuck it, he was not in love.

“I’m not in love,” Dane muttered again, but now after talking to Chris he was beginning to think he might be falling in that direction. One good push and he’d go over.

“Relax, man.” Chris was openly laughing now. “It’s not the worst thing in the world. I can tell you I’ve never been happier since Susie came into my life. So you’re not in love. You’re in deep…like. How about that?”

“You’re about to be punched in the nose,” Dane warned. “Don’t fuck with me.”

The smile immediately fell from Chris’s face and he put his hand on Dane’s shoulder. “It’s okay, bro. Everything is going to be fine. You’re not in love and that’s cool. You like Lily and Nicky and that’s great. Why don’t you tell me about them?”

Dean searched Chris’s features, needing to know if his friend was serious or simply yanking his chain. He appeared to be the former and Dane relaxed slightly.

“What do you want to know?” he asked, still on guard.

“Anything. For example, what does she look like?”

That was an easy question. “Average height and build. Actually she’s slim. She works too much and doesn’t eat enough. She could use a few pounds. Long dark hair and eyes. A nice smile.”

Chris’s brows shot up. “She’s not your usual type.”

Dane tensed up again, stepping over to the small refrigerator in the corner and pulling out a soda to keep from saying what he really wanted to. “No, she is not. Any other questions?”

“From your tone it sounds like my answer better be no. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. We were just concerned.”

“That’s the only reason you’re not flat on your back nursing a sore jaw.” Dane smacked the can down on the desk. “Listen, I know you guys mean well. I really do. I’m going to tell her the truth Saturday night. I’ve already set up the trust fund for Nicky. Everything is going to be fine.”

“If you say it is, then it is,” Chris agreed. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you if you need to talk.”

“Let me ask you a question, Chris. When you thought Susie had gone off with me that night on the island, did you want to talk about it with anyone? Be honest here.”

Chris fell back into the chair and laughed. “Fuck no. I sure as hell didn’t. You’ve made your point. Although I think I should make the point that talking to Susie and working everything out was the best way to go.”

“I plan on doing exactly that,” Dane sighed, stuffing folders into his briefcase. He was tired and cranky and he wanted to get the hell out of the office and to the peace of his own home. “Are we done here?”

“We are,” Chris conceded and then shook his head. “Actually there is one more thing I want to say.”

“Then for the love of all that’s good and holy, say it so I can get out of here.” Dane snapped the briefcase shut and picked up his car keys from the desktop.

“She’d be lucky to have you,” Chris said quietly. “You’re a good person, Dane. I’d want you on my side in any fight, physical or otherwise. You deserve to have someone in your life that gives a shit. Don’t be a jerk about this and ruin it, okay?”

Dane opened his mouth to tell Chris off but then closed it. He might not be far off. Dane had been a jerk too many times in the past and look where he was…alone. And no one did give a rat’s ass, except Seb and Chris, and they had their own lives to lead. It hadn’t bothered Dane before but it did now.

“Okay,” Dane finally agreed, nodding his assent. “Now I’m going home before you think of something else to say.”

Ducking out of the office before Chris could respond, Dane headed straight for the exit and his car. He had to tell Lily the truth this weekend and he needed to find the perfect way to do it.

And then he needed to convince her that they just might have some sort of a future together.

‡

L
ily critically surveyed
her appearance in the mirror for the tenth time. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she pulled the flowered dress back over her head and tossed it on the ever-growing pile of discarded clothing on the bed.

She’d had to dig way back into the recesses of her closet for something appropriate to wear on a date but nothing seemed to fit right anymore. Since having Nicky, her boobs and hips were bigger making some of the clothes hang strangely on her body. Sighing, she reached for her last hope. A red dress with thin straps, a fairly modest neckline, and a hem that came mid-thigh. She’d worn it a few times to the area clubs and it was the dress she’d been wearing when she’d met Nicky’s father.

It was the last thing she wanted to wear tonight on this date with Dane.

But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and if it was the only thing that didn’t make her look like she’d grabbed her wardrobe from her younger sister’s hamper then that’s what she’d wear. Funny how three years and a baby could change a person’s taste in clothes. Most of the stuff she’d worn back then she wouldn’t be caught dead in now whether it fit or not.

She slipped the dress over her head and smoothed it down her hips. Twisting right and then left in front of the mirror, she decided it was presentable enough. She dragged a pair of matching red sandals out from the depths of her closet and blew the dust off of the surface before donning them.

It had been a long time in between dates.

Lily had come to some peace about her decision to go out with Dane. She liked him. He was funny, intelligent, handsome, and he was sweet to Nicky. He also smelled good. Something woodsy and clean. Very masculine but distinct. She could pick him out of a crowded room with her eyes closed.